Good Friday egg
The Good Friday egg and its meaning belongs to the field of tradition , superstition and magic . Chicken eggs that were laid on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are said to have magical powers. In some parts of Europe ( Germany , France , Switzerland and Austria ) the custom of the Good Friday eggs is maintained.
Magical power
Even the ancient peoples of the Egyptians , Persians and Chinese are said to have laid blessed eggs for the house. As a symbol of fertility and life, they should protect against all evil. Each family member received a blessed egg, which was eaten like a vaccination to protect against disease. The Good Friday egg evidently emerged from this, according to tradition, it may not be painted or decorated. It is credited with the fact that it does not rot, but only dries up inside. Regionally, the belief in magic has been preserved. In order to preserve health, one went to the egg women and asked them for a Good Friday egg. The men drank this up immediately in order to preserve their labor. The eggs were cooked against illness at Easter and eaten in every family.
regional customs
Several properties are ascribed to the magic egg, so they should protect the house and yard. If they are buried on a slope, they should avoid sliding down the slope. But they are also carried around fields , fields and meadows in order to obtain a good harvest yield. They are also fed to animals to protect them from disease. All in all, the Good Friday egg should bring blessings for people and homes, since it should never go bad .
Austria
In large areas of Vorarlberg the Maundy Thursday eggs, which are said to have a similar effect as the Good Friday eggs, are also referred to as "Antlasse eggs". For example, it says in tradition:
“The custom goes back to the time when the farmers had to pay their landlords taxes in the form of eggs on Maundy Thursday; "Antlasseier" (from indulgence), as they were called, were colored red as an indication of the blood of Christ, which absolves guilt; the debts were paid off. Leaving eggs remain white and are marked with a D (for Thursday). These eggs laid on Maundy Thursday were / will be kept for the consecration of food (food blessing). "
Protective powers are also attributed to the Antlass eggs, they are also considered to be a herald of healing and good luck.
France
In the north of France, Brittany, it is part of the Easter custom for school beginners to write the alphabet on a piece of paper, which was then stirred up with a Good Friday egg and given to eat. This, according to the “superstition”, should help the young students learn to write and read better.
Germany
In addition to the usual Easter biscuits, there was also a custom in Swabia to bake a cake from Good Friday eggs. When the Swabian farmer brought her husband this cake made from Good Friday eggs on Easter morning, she clearly wanted to strengthen his love. It used to be common in parts of Germany to write down the ABC for school beginners, chop it up and serve it with their Good Friday egg. On Good Friday it was customary to plant hen's eggs in order to have more chicks ; To lay eggs in the chimney to protect against lightning and fire blight; Good Friday eggs were also laid out in gutters against fire.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, too, good Friday eggs are assigned special properties in parts of the Uri Alps . According to popular belief, deposited in the house and stable protect against diseases and epidemics throughout the year and attract fever.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to Johann Christoph Adelung's "Grammatical-Critical Dictionary of High German Dialect": "Antlaß, like discharge, means the same thing in Alemannic dialect. Antlaz, Kero; Antlaz funton, forgiveness of sins."
- ↑ Customs in Austria: The Antlasseier [1]
- ↑ Easter in France Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 7, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Easter cake made from Good Friday eggs [2]
- ↑ Easter customs [3]
- ↑ How and how magic and witchcraft work [4]
- ↑ The Easter Bunny in Uri [5] ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
